The not-so-popular Extensa series is one of the low-budget solutions from Acer to target the cheap general-purpose notebook section. There is plenty of competition in this section already with the contenders like the HP 250 G5, Lenovo B50-50, and the Swift 1 from the very Acer itself. Let’s check out Acer Extensa EX2540-33WP (NX.EFHEK.003) then and witness whether it is worth it’s salt or not.
Check out the latest price for the Acer Extensa EX2540-58KR
Specs:
- CPU – Intel Core i3 Dual-Core (6th Gen), 2.0 GHz
- GPU – Intel HD Graphics 520
- Memory – 4 GB (1 x 4 GB) DDR3, extendable upto 16 GB
- Screen – 15.6-inch HD (1,366 x 768)
- Storage – 500 GB SATA HDD
- OS – Windows 10 Home edition
Benefits:
- Performance – It is powered by an Intel Core i3 processor which is a rare view these days for a budget notebook (we mostly witness the relatively low powerful Celeron processor). There is 4 gigs of RAM alongside 500 gigs of HDD. The configuration might be a tad bit low for everyday usage but the RAM at least can be expanded further. But overall it performed decently in general purpose stuff like web surfing and video streaming.
- Ports – While the number of ports is not abundant they are sufficient for regular use. You can take advantage of the 3 USB ports in which 2 is of the slower 2.0 variance, an Ethernet port and a separate HDMI port.
- Fan – The ventilation system works pretty good which not only makes it stay cool but also calm. The highest temperature or noise never crossed the magic figure of 35 (highest temperature was recorded at 33°C and noise level at 34 dB). Pretty good results indeed.
Downsides:
- Price – The comparatively steep price tag doesn’t help this ‘budget’ laptop at all staying in the budget. Priced at £390, it’s much more expensive than the potential contenders like the Acer Swift 1 and HP 250 G5.
- Display – The 15.6 inch HD display isn’t anything special, in my opinion. The HD panel might be a decent choice for the 11 inchers but it certainly sticks out in a 15-inch notebook. The next thing that would come to your attention is that it’s pretty dim at only 215 nits. The colour reproduction capability and the contrast ratio are pretty bad as well and are only as good as it can be expected from a low budget notebook.
- Battery – The battery backup isn’t specifically very bad, to be honest. But it certainly falls behind than the category average of 8 hours by some distance. The 4-cell 48 Wh battery pack could make it stay awake for a hair under 6 hours while doing some decently demanding task like web surfing in medium brightness.
Verdict:
As told earlier, while the spec sheet doesn’t infer that it is utterly powerful it certainly packs enough power for the regular users. Due to the relatively higher price tag, it can’t specifically be called cheap though. If the price is the key factor for you then you can opt for the relatively cheaper options.